


i wanna melt you down into the stars

by LilacsAndLilies



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Awkwardness, Boarding School, Boys In Love, Far from home, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, France (Country), Friends to Lovers, Gay Harry Osborn, Getting Together, Gift Giving, Happy Ending, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm definitely missing some tags here, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Paris (City), Peter Parker is a Mess, Summer Vacation, Texting, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Travel, Venice, but as a Rom-Com, he's trying his best ok, it's barely there, softies, this is cute tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24844975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacsAndLilies/pseuds/LilacsAndLilies
Summary: Peter was sure his summer vacation was going to be great. He was going to visit Europe with his Decathalon team and hopefully ask his long time best friend out on a date. As long as everything went according to plan, it would be fine; "according to plan" being the key words there.akaA Far From Home rewrite without Mysterio and with Parksborn
Relationships: Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Harry Osborn/Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson
Comments: 12
Kudos: 158





	i wanna melt you down into the stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [petersdadtony](https://archiveofourown.org/users/petersdadtony/gifts).



> Title from You and I by Barns Courtney
> 
> Happy Birthday Sarah!!! ily and I hope you have a great day and enjoy this!
> 
> Tony is alive, he's just not in the fic. Assume that because Tony is still alive, Beck didn’t even try to do anything. Just a nice, normal vacation in Europe. Or, as normal as anything can be with Peter involved.

Peter looked down at his phone, the airplane mode button ready to be pressed for when the plane finished boarding. He had already settled into his seat next to Ned and was ready for the long plane ride. His phone was open to his texts with Harry.

* * *

**Har-bear 💖💖**

These idiot kids decided graduation meant they could try to fill the pool with alcohol

I don’t know how, but they managed to do it too

The entire fitness center is being evacuated

Good morning to you too lmao

Sounds like rich stuck up kids to me

Sure you didn’t help? 😄

* * *

Peter grinned and put away his phone as the plane began to take off. Harry thought he was going to be in NYC, just as planned. The boy’s boarding school was ending in a few days and he was supposed to be coming home for the summer a few days before Peter’s decathlon team was supposed to be coming back. This left him with some overlap time in Europe for his plan.

He checked his shirt pocket again, making sure the paper detailing his plan was still tucked neatly inside. Beside him Ned was excitedly explaining a game he wanted to play. Peter tried to pay attention but instead got sucked into his own thoughts, daydreaming about what had been and what could be.

Harry and Peter had been the best of friends for as long as either of them could remember. They spent their entire lives together, all the way up to freshman year, where Harry got shipped off the boarding school and Peter started at Midtown. Even after that, they kept in contact with constant texts and phone calls, and every summer, when Harry came back, they were practically attached at the hip. 

Harry knew everything about him, knew him down to his very bones in a way that Peter didn’t even know himself. Harry knew exactly what he felt when Ben died, what with feeling the same emotions, just an ocean away. Harry knew about Spider-Man, he knew about the Avengers, he knew about Thanos and fighting on a different planet. The only thing he didn’t know was that Peter was so absolutely and irrevocably in love with him.

It started freshman year,Harry was gone and Peter was lost without the one constant he had his entire life. The phrase, “absence makes the heart grow fonder” was one that Peter’s life played by, and it only took a few months to realize what he felt was more than friendship. 

Then everything with Ben and being Spider-Man and the fight with Norman happened and it was a wonder Harry was still his friend, let alone anything else. They spent maybe two months a year together but, regardless of where they were, Peter felt himself falling deeper and deeper in love. 

They were best friends, they always had been, and Peter tried to make himself feel like it was enough. But then he almost died and then Tony almost died and it really put everything in perspective. He couldn’t stand by and pretend they were friends when there was the chance to be more. 

At least that was what he kept telling himself.

“What if he rejects me and then I lose him?” Peter turned to Ned.

Ned rolled his eyes. “First of all, he’s never gonna reject you dude. You’re so amazing and I’ve seen both of you together. He likes you too. He’ll say yes and then you’ll both date and be happy and I’ll be your best friend. Second of all, if he leaves and doesn’t settle for friendship, he’s a jerk and you’ll still have me to support you and be your best friend. Either way, I end up your number one friend.”

Peter just gave Ned a grin. “Thanks man. I needed that.”

“No problem. Plus, you have that list, so it’ll go great. Now c’mon, let’s play.” Ned gestured towards his laptop and dangled a controller in his hand.

Across the aisle Peter could hear MJ lecturing Brad Davis about how she was a lesbian and absolutely not into him. In front of them, he could hear Betty and Abe arguing about movies. He tried to ease his running mind and just take in the people around him. He grabbed the controller with a grin and got ready to play.

* * *

Soon enough the plane touched down in Venice. Ned and Peter rushed into the hotel as soon as possible and got ready to travel the city. While waiting for Ned to come out of the bathroom so they could go explore, Peter pulled out the little sheet he had prepared earlier that week. He slumped onto the bed and stared at the numbers.

**A 7 step plan to ask out Harry Osborn**

  1. Make sure Harry doesn’t know you’re in Europe
  2. Buy him a glass dip pen in Venice
  3. Go find him at his boarding school in Paris
  4. Take him out to dinner to “catch up” and give him the pen
  5. Go on a walk and take him to the top of the eiffel tower
  6. Tell him how you feel and hope he feels the same
  7. Kiss and have a happily ever after (hopefully)



Step one was working out for now, but step two would hopefully be able to be crossed out today. Ned came bounding out of the bathroom and the two of them set off to see Venice.

It wasn’t hard to split away from the crowd and make his way to Murano. Around him, he found dozens of small stalls - each one selling various glass bobbles and beauties. 

Harry was an artist, and Peter had spent a long time wracking his brain for what to get him. Even now he felt awkward getting something that Harry could buy on his own. But he had seen the other boy go through a phase obsessing over dip pens, constantly sending him videos of people using the glass utensil. Peter hoped the gift would be appreciated.

He quickly made his way back to his class, all of them standing in front of the museum. It was nearing 3:10 in the afternoon. 

“Well now that Peter has finally joined us, we can go inside.” Mr. Harrington called out, trying to corral the students into the building.

Ned leaned over to Peter. “So? Did you get it?”

Peter grinned. “Yeah I did. It looks so cool. I’ll show you back in the hotel room.” He gestured to the bag in his hand. “I don’t want to pull it out now - it’s fragile. I would have left it back in the room but I was already late.”

“Alright.” Ned glanced over at Betty, who was looking at the two of them. “Listen man, so while you were gone buying the necklace, I was by myself for like an hour in the square, so I was talking to Betty, and it turns out we have a lot in common. So now we're dating.”

Peter looked between the two incredulously. “What happened to being an American bachelor in Europe?”

Ned placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, a solemn look on his face. “Peter... those were the words of a boy. That boy met a woman. A very strong and powerful woman. And now, that boy’s a man.”

Betty rolled her eyes and called out, “Babe.” 

Ned just nodded at Peter and walked towards the girl. “Coming, babe.”

Peter sighed and shook his head, a grin on his face. He placed his own mental bets that the couple would break up before they got home. He hoped that wasn’t the same for his own potential romance.

* * *

Unfortunately, the new couple meant Ned was not by Peter’s side when they left the museum hours later. Flash had apparently seen Ned’s absence as an opening because as soon as they left the museum, he ran over and bumped into Peter. “Sup dickwad. Not surprised you flaked again. You can’t just show up on time like a normal person can you? Oh wait, I forgot, it’s because you aren’t normal.”

Peter ignored the other boy, instead trying to focus on the sights around him. 

“I’m talking to you here, Penis. Now what’s your excuse this time? You can’t use your fake Stark Internship this time. Everyone knows Tony Stark is at home, recuperating after saving the world again. Plus, your internship probably got canceled during the blip. There’s no way you got it back.” Flash taunted the boy, shifting to stand directly in his path. 

“It’s none of your business Flash.” Peter tried to step to the side and avoid the bully.

“But you were late. And that made all of us miss the first part of our tour. So I think it is my business.” Flash caught sight of the bag in Peter’s hand. “What’s that?” 

Peter pulled the bag closer to himself, taking on a defensive stance. He crossed his arms in front of him, trying to hide the bag from view. “None of your business.” He repeated the words more firmly. 

“What’s going on there boys?” Mr. Harrington called out, noticing that they had stopped. Peter sighed in relief at the interjection.

“Nothing Mr. Harrington, we were just trying to get a picture of something.” Flash gave an innocent smile.

The concern drained from Mr. Harrington’s face with a casual wave of his hand. “Hurry up then. Don’t want any of you to get lost.”

Flash nodded. “You heard him. Wouldn’t want to get left behind.” He began to run forward, purposefully knocking into Peter on the way. The bag fell out of his hand and landed on the ground. The box inside opened and the pen rolled out. Peter watched in horror as the pen bumped into a pillar and shattered. “Ha, you were late because you were buying a pen. Nerd.” 

Peter couldn’t even bring himself to respond as he carefully picked up the broken remains of the pen and put them in the box. Did he have time to go buy another one? He glanced down at his watch to see the blinking lights show that it was almost seven at night. Even if he rushed over to the stall again, getting one made would take too long. They were leaving the next day, he wouldn't be able to make it. He had created a perfect plan and it had already failed. 

He scrambled to get everything packed and ran after his class. When he met up with the group again he saw Flash smirking at him. It took all of Peter’s energy and willpower not to punch the stupid smile off the other boy’s face. Instead, Peter settled for scowling and plotting revenge that would never come. 

MJ gave him a concerned look but he waved her off with a smile that he hoped didn't look as fake as it felt. 

As soon as they got back to the crumbly old hotel, Peter immediately walked over and flopped face down onto his bed.

Ned bounced in soon after him. “Peter, that was so great. It was really nice to be walking around with Betty because-.” He stopped at the sight of Peter. “What’s wrong?”

“Flash bumped into me and made me drop the pen - it cracked.”

"He what!?" Ned dropped his stuff on his bed and walked over to Peter. "Is there any way you can buy another one?"

Peter shook his head, his answer muffled by the bed beneath him. "It was custom made, had his name on it. It would take too long to make another one and the stalls close soon."

"That sucks dude, what are you gonna do?" Ned sat down next to Peter, the bed squeaking as he did so. 

Peter groaned and lifted himself up. "I guess I'll just have to get him something else. Maybe flowers or something, I don't know."

Peter reached over to the bed stand and grabbed a pen. Then he reached into his pocket and grabbed his plan, making comments to it. The pen poked through the paper and he scribbled furiously. After capping the pen, he stared at the list again. 

**A** ~~ **7**~~ **6** **step plan to ask out Harry Osborn**

  1. Make sure Harry doesn’t know you’re in Europe
  2. ~~Buy him a glass dip pen in Venice~~
  3. Go find him at his boarding school in Paris
  4. Take him out to dinner to “catch up” and give him ~~the pen~~ Flowers
  5. Go on a walk and take him to the top of the eiffel tower
  6. Tell him how you feel and hope he feels the same
  7. Kiss and have a happily ever after (hopefully)



Peter sighed and folded the paper once again. It was starting to get worn at the creases and frayed at the edges. He set the paper and his pen on his bedside table and got ready to get on the plane to Paris the next day. 

Before going to bed he pulled out his phone. It was a little after nine in Venice which was right after three in New York City. Venice and France fell under the same time zone and Harry always texted Peter around three because he knew Peter was in the car on the way to his internship after school. Even with the internship canceled and school officially out, the time became a staple.

* * *

**Har-bear 💖💖**

Heyo, how's summer going?

its chill. ive just been hanging out with Ned and MJ.

cool

classes officially end tomorrow, and ill be on a plane back the day after. Can't wait to see nyc again

And me of course

Hmmm, nope! Just nyc

_ rude _

jk, miss u, see u soon

see u soon, gn!

* * *

Peter plugged in his phone to charge. At least he was succeeding at Step One of his plan - Harry didn't know he was in Europe. Peter couldn’t count the number of times he has taken a picture, eager to show Harry, only to stop himself. At least tomorrow, he would be in the clear. 

They were going to be in France for two days, before heading to Spain for another two days. After that it was straight home. Peter didn't really know what the plan was for Spain, but that was something he was trying not to worry about. They could figure it out depending on how Harry responded. 

Peter crossed his fingers, hoping for the best as he turned off the lights and went to bed.

* * *

The next morning was a hectic flurry of bags and rushing to the airport. Luckily, they were able to board without issue. He hadn't been called out for his suit like last time. He had already angrily called Aunt May about that, but had begrudgingly agreed that there was no harm in having it if he never had to use it. 

Peter settled into his seat. Unlike the previous flight, Ned had snagged a seat next to Betty leaving the seat next to him empty. 

MJ slid into the empty seat. "Sup loser. Mind if I sit here?" She tried to sound calm but her voice came across agitated. 

"Sup MJ. Of course. Why are you so panicked?"

The girl glared at him for pointing it out. "Brad. He's being a class A asshole and won't take no for an answer."

Peter laughed, before quickly stifling it at her look. "I heard you yelling at him earlier."

MJ sighed and nodded. "Yeah, so, I noticed Ned is busy with Betty and realized the seat next to you was free. You might be a loser but anyone is better company than Brad."

"You could just admit we're friends, you know?"

MJ waved a hand at him. "It was the only good seat. Anyway, I'm going to be reading, so don't bother me."

Peter just nodded in agreement and pulled up a movie to watch, relaxing with the comfortable silence. He pulled the paper out of his hand and started fidgeting with it. 

It was a short flight, but even within the two hours, Peter found his anxiety growing. He needed to be at the school gates around four that night, when all classes officially ended and the students were free to leave. The school was on the outskirts of town and it would take at least an hour to get there from the hotel. The plane was set to land at noon - which meant that, if Peter kept on schedule he would be able to drop off his things and get there on time. 

They were spending two days in France, and the second day was mostly filled with group activities. That made the first day Peter’s only chance. By the end of the day, he would either be dating Harry Osborn or be short a best friend.

MJ put down her book, pulling Peter out of his thoughts. The brunette looked at the screen, he had no clue what was happening in the movie anymore. 

"What's with the paper? You keep playing with it." She gestured towards the worn out paper with her free hand. 

Peter hadn't told anyone else about the plan, nor did he want to. "Nothing much."

"Can't be nothing. You've been worried about it the entire plane ride."

Sadly, that decision wasn't in his hands as MJ pulled the paper from him and began to scan over it. 

"You're going to ask Harry Osborn on a date?" She whispered, just quiet enough that no one else heard.

They hadn't started really being friends until the beginning of the school year, so she had never really seen him with Harry and Peter had never mentioned the other boy. He could understand the incredulousness, even if it did spike his panic about being rejected again.

"We've been friends since we were kids. He goes to boarding school in France."

MJ gave him an intense look, trying to judge if he was telling the truth. Finally she nodded slowly. "Well then. Go get ‘em tiger! You're a catch, there’s no way he'd say no."

Peter relaxed and let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding. "Thanks MJ."

"Don't mention it." She gave him a small smile and went back to her book.

* * *

Of course, if one thing went off plan, everything else had to as well. It was raining in France, so the plane stayed in the air for a bit until the downpour stopped. This meant that they didn't land until one instead. Then the line at customs was long because of the flights all landing at once from the delay, so they didn't get out until three. The lady at the hotel (which was much much nicer than the other crummy one) gave him the wrong key - three times! He didn't get inside the hotel until four and he definitely wouldn’t be able to surprise Harry after class. Now all he could hope was to make it to the boy’s dorm room before he decided to go have dinner with friends or something. 

Peter rushed into his room, literally dropping his bag on the floor before running out again. He headed towards the closest bus stop and started to rush towards the school. 

Inside the bus, his mind started to wander again. What if Harry already had dinner plans? Or maybe he decided to leave early and wasn't there anymore? He stared down at his phone to see a message from the boy in question. He must have gotten it in the airport - he had barely stopped to check since then.

* * *

**Har-bear 💖💖**

FINALLY

CLASSES ARE OVER

I'M FREE

All of the other kids are going out to party in the city but honestly, I just want to come home. 

yay! you're done!

you'll be home soon enough

I'm counting down the minutes until I get back

* * *

Peter put away his phone, that was one relief at least. Harry sounded like he wanted to stay in his dorm. What if he said no to the dinner? He pulled out the paper again and began to fiddle with it. 

Peter’s mind ran in circles as the bus pulled to a stop. Peter got out and looked around, trying to orient himself while still internally panicking. Right as he decided on the direction to walk, a car drove past. The rain from the storm had left puddles on the worn, hole riddled, old road. Puddles that specifically splashed Peter and the paper in his hand. 

Peter shook himself, getting the most of the water off of him, leaving only faded stains. The paper in the other hand, already worn out from Peter’s nervous habits, tore at the creases. Peter held his broken plan in his hands and just stared at them. 

Parker Luck really did work all of the time. His own personal brand of Murphy's Law. 

Peter gave himself another once over. And now he looked ridiculous, still ruffled from the plane and half covered in water. This was just great. 

He tried to pull himself together and walked up to the nearby gates. Harry told him there was a guard in the front, but apparently the guard had taken off due to the end of school. 

Students were pouring out, ready to leave for the summer. This gave Peter the perfect opportunity to slip in. He had never been to France before, but Harry had given him enough video tours for him to find his way around. He slipped through the hallways and made his way up to the room he knew was Harry’s.

The door was cracked open. Inside he could hear the faint noises of someone packing. Peter knocked on the door. 

A blond kid came to open it, staring at Peter with a look of irritation and slowly growing disgust. Peter felt his face blush red. "Sorry. Wrong room."

The boy just nodded and slammed the door close. Peter pushed his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. What was he going to do now? Did Harry switch rooms without telling him? Maybe he just got the number wrong? Should he knock on the doors nearby? He dropped his head into his arms. Maybe this was a sign that he shouldn't ask Harry out.

Peter jolted at the sudden sound of footsteps. He jumped on to his feet, trying not to look lost for whoever was coming towards him. He turned around and avoided looking at whoever was coming.

This made it all the more surprising when he heard Harry’s voice behind him. "Pete?"

Peter spun around, a sheepish grin on his face. "Hey Harry." He gave a shy grin.

"Wh- what are you doing here?" Harry sounded incredulous. Peter mentally ticked Step One off of his list, a grin on his face.

He stepped closer, taking in the sight of Harry after over a year, or rather six years. He tried not to think about that - about what it would have been like if Harry hadn't been blipped. It didn’t matter. No matter how horrible it sounded, he was glad Harry was blipped. This was the one time he wouldn’t focus on what-ifs. 

Harry was standing in front of him, complete with a long grey trench coat that matched his eyes, and it took all of Peter’s will power not to kiss him there and then. He could still make this work. “The decathlon team may or may not have been planning a trip to Europe. I’m here today and tomorrow.”

“That’s- wow. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Peter shrugged. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well consider me surprised.” Harry grinned before pulling Peter into a hug. “It’s nice to see you.”

Peter hummed in agreement. He gripped onto the other boy, resting his chin on Harry’s shoulder. Harry smelled the same as always, a mix of starch from his clean, pressed shirts and the bread Peter knew he liked to make. It was comforting and familiar, and for once Peter couldn’t taste space dust and blood on his tongue.

Eventually, Harry pulled away. Peter immediately felt cold, almost like something was missing. He wished he could just hold Harry in his arms like that, forever. 

“So, why were you just waiting out here? You know what my room number is.”

“I thought I did, but I knocked on the door and saw someone I’ve never met before. Assumed I got the wrong number.” Peter gestured at the door.

“No, that’s the right one. My roommate probably has a friend over. You want to come in?”

Peter recalled the frosty look the other boy had given him. “I think I’ll pass. I came straight here after the flight. I think I'll freshen up and stuff. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to have dinner together later.” 

Harry gave Peter a once over, his eyes growing wide as if he just processed the water stains on Peter’s shirt. “Uh, yeah, sure. Where’s your hotel? I know some good restaurants in Paris, I’ll send you the address to whichever is closest.” He paused and then gestured at Peter’s shirt. “Why is your shirt wet?”

Peter grinned. “It’s a long story. I’ll text you the name of the hotel when I get back.”

“Do you want me to give you an extra shirt? It won’t be comfortable taking the hour long bus ride back in a wet shirt.”

Peter froze at the idea of wearing Harry’s shirt - they had shared clothes a lot, and Peter was sure he had at least three of Harry’s shirts in his closet at home, long forgotten except for the occasional promise of, ‘I’ll give it back to you next time.’ Still, it felt different this time, considering what he was planning to do later that day. 

“No, I think I’ll be fine. I have to go back and change into something nicer anyway. Knowing you, you’ll pick out some high class restaurant.”

Harry laughed and Peter took in the beautiful sound with a smile on his face. “See you later then.”

Harry waved and walked into his room.

Peter stood outside the closed door for a few more minutes, a wide grin on his face. Maybe some of his plans could still be salvaged.

* * *

His plans absolutely could not be salvaged.

He had rushed to the hotel and changed into some more formal clothing. Then he texted Harry and got set up with an address and a plan to meet there in an hour. Harry had already started, which gave him a little under an hour to buy flowers or something else for the boy. Peter searched up a flower shop on the way to the restaurant from his hotel and got ready to walk there.

Walking in Paris was a surreal experience. It was summer, so it wasn’t quite late enough for the sun to have set already. Peter walked down the street, based on the directions on his phone, enjoying the atmosphere around him. 

Finally, with half an hour to spare and the restaurant in sight, Peter reached the flower boutique. He walked up to the door, only to find a sign on it saying the store was closed for the day due to a family emergency. Peter really could not believe this was happening to him… again. 

He thought back to the torn shreds of a plan he had sitting on the table in the hotel room, that was Step Four partially ruined. So far he had a 50% success rate.

He searched for any nearby flower shops but found none he could walk to and still get back here in time. This was shaping up to be one of the worst plans ever.

Peter honestly couldn't even say he was surprised, of course things went like this. Maybe it would be better to abandon his plans entirely and just enjoy a nice dinner with Harry - there was no point in trying for more. 

He walked over to the restaurant and waited outside for Harry. He pulled out his phone, ready to text his best friend. 

He troubled over the two words in his head. Best friend. That's all they would ever be.

* * *

**Har-bear 💖💖**

im here, where are u?

Eta: 10 min 

no one says eta, why are u like this

🤷♂️ someone has to be more dramatic than u

* * *

He couldn’t even bring himself to smile at the message. All of this planning, all of this work, and he had given up before the night had even started. Harry didn't deserve this. He deserved more. He deserved someone who would always be there, would get him nice gifts, and wouldn't mess everything up at every possible step.

Peter took a deep breath, trying to quell the tears he hadn't noticed form in the corners of his eyes. It would be fine. This was still Harry, the boy he grew up with, the boy he loved more than life itself. It would be fine.

By the time Harry came walking over, Peter had plastered a fake smile onto his face. 

"Hey Pete. Wow, you look nice." Harry exclaimed, giving Peter a slow look over. 

"Fishing for compliments now, Har?" Peter deflected, using the joke to stop his real thoughts. Harry looked as handsome as always and the jokes were his only barrier against admitting that Peter liked the look a little too much. 

They went inside, quickly settling at the table. Peter still felt a little out of place inside fancy restaurants, but between Tony and Harry, Peter had gotten used to them. 

Small talk quickly led way to stories as the two of them fit back together, the months away meaning nothing in the big picture. Peter felt himself growing more relaxed, just sitting there, talking to Harry. Nothing was worth risking Harry leaving his life. Not his feelings or any other issues Parker Luck would grace him with. Dinners and conversations like this were enough. 

Of course, even Peter’s reluctant acceptance didn't stop Parker Luck. As their dinner wound down and they were getting ready to leave, Harry said, "So, it's your first time around Paris, right? And you just got here so you haven't seen anything yet?"

Peter nodded, unsure where Harry’s line of questioning was leading.

"Let me take you to see the Eiffel Tower. I've been there a ton of times but I want to show you. It looks beautiful this time of night."

Peter felt all of his earlier calm drain away. Of course Harry was already tired of the Eiffel Tower. It was a good thing he abandoned his own plan, or it might have been boring. Still, he could never say no to Harry, so apparently they were going anyway. "Sure. Show me the pretty sights."

"Only pretty sight around here is you." Harry whispered, quiet enough that someone without super hearing wouldn't have heard it. 

Peter froze. Was he hearing things? Did Harry just say that? The other boy knew about his super hearing. Peter turned to look at Harry.

Harry’s face was blank, no sign that he had said anything of the sort. Peter shook it off. He couldn’t be making up things like that anymore. He wasn't allowed to have that hope.

"You coming?" Harry held the door open for Peter and the two of them stepped out into the night.

For a while it was an easy silence. Peter enjoyed the fresh air and lights, the walk feeling even better than this morning because of the boy at his side."What happened there? With the stones?"

Peter froze. They had talked about May's charities and Spider-Man during dinner, but the conversation always avoided the stones and Thanos. Even their texts seemed to barely touch upon it. "It was- it was a lot. You heard about the giant donut shaped ship in New York?" Harry nodded. "Me and Tony snuck on it. We were on a different planet fighting Thanos - this crazy alien who thought destroying half of all life was the best way to solve overpopulation. The planet had an orange sky and there was dust everywhere and we fought, so  _ so _ hard, and we failed. Last thing I saw before fading away was that sky."

Harry turned to look at Peter, a sympathetic look on his face. "I- you mentioned another planet, but you never said…."

"It was a lot. Dying in Tony’s arms and then coming back, being told I needed to fight again. The stones were on a gauntlet and I held that gauntlet in my hand. Then someone took it away from me and it ended up with Tony instead. Dr. Banner was the one to snap everyone back to life but Tony was the one to destroy Thanos, once and for all. He almost died doing it but I can’t help but feel like it should have been me."

"Stop." Harry’s words were harsh. "Stop blaming yourself. I _know_ _you_ Peter. None of this was your fault. What happened on that other planet wasn't your fault. What happened to Tony was _not_ your fault."

"But I should have been better."

"You did everything you could. Tony didn't die. You don't know what would have happened if you snapped instead. Stop blaming yourself."

Peter gulped. "Okay." He didn't quite believe it yet, but Harry had joined the ranks of the masses trying to tell him the same, so he might as well try. 

"How  _ is _ Tony Stark?"

"He's fine - he's still bed ridden. One of his arms had to get completely amputated. He still sleeps a lot. But he's getting better. He tries to text me every day. I get a lot of pictures from Morgan."

"See, he'll be fine. He's happy now. Happier than he was before."

"How do you know?"

"He has you and Morgan. Both of his kids." Peter tried to speak but Harry kept going. "Don't try to deny it Parker, you've told me how he acts with you. He… he's what a father should be."

Peter stayed silent, this really wasn't what he had been expecting from the night. He knew he should bring up Norman, apologize for putting him in jail, but he couldn’t find the words to say and he didn't think Harry would accept them anyway. 

"You know, I had the chance to speak to him at a gala last year, or I guess six years ago. He was talking about you to everyone. He sounded so proud. It was the first time I really started to trust that he was there for you. You deserve to have another father like that Pete."Harry paused and then said, "Does he know we're friends?"

Peter stopped at the sudden change in topic. "As of last summer he did not. I told him a little while after you went back to France. Actually promised to bring you around to the tower this summer," Peter responded, confused. 

"And what did he think of me?"

"He hates all Osborns on principle, so at first he threw a hissy fit, dramatic as he is. But then I explained things, and I think he's coming around to it. The arrest of your father made his openness to you better, I think." Peter said the last part quietly, afraid of upsetting his friend.

"You can stop avoiding that with me. I'm not going to break if someone talks to me about my criminal father."

Peter just looked at Harry, a silent question on his lips. 

"Just- ignore it. Don't worry about it. This isn't what I wanted to talk about."

"What did you want to talk about?"

By that point they had reached the Eiffel Tower. The elevators were mostly empty but they stayed quiet anyway. 

Finally they got to the top. Peter looked out at the view, amazed by how far he could see. "Wow Harry, this is incredible."

"Yeah, the view is amazing." Harry smiled, keeping his eyes focused on Peter. 

"I can't believe you get to see this everyday."

"It's a lot nicer when you have someone to share it with."

Peter looked over at Harry, who was fidgeting with his hands. It would be the perfect moment to just try, ignore his plan and just go for it.

"Peter. I- I have something to say."

"Yeah Harry?"

"You can say no and I'll just pretend this never happened. Just promise me that no matter what, we'll stay friends."

Peter started to get worried. Did Harry know about his crush? He must have been too obvious. He plastered a fake smile on his face. "Of course Harry, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, here goes nothing. You are my best friend, the most important person in my world. You know me better than anyone else and I have watched you, year after year, be the amazing person you are. When you showed up today at my room, god I just felt so excited. I'm always a better person with you around. You make me better. It was about a year ago when I realized that the love I felt for you was more than that or best friends or brothers," he paused and grimaced at the idea. "You showed up and I thought I'd take my chance in the city of love. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, Peter Parker, would you please go out on a date with me?"

Peter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How did everything go so wrong only to end up so _right_? His brain felt like it was short circuiting and the only thing he could say was, “That was my plan!”

Harry blinked at Peter, his eyes scrunched. “What?”

Peter knew he should probably answer Harry’s question, but instead all of the frustration he felt in the last few days came tumbling out. “I had this entire plan and everything. As soon as I heard we were visiting Paris. I was going to get you one of those nice glass pens from Venice, but then it broke because of Flash, and so I thought I could get your flowers but the flower store was closed, and my plan  _ ripped _ and I didn’t surprise you in your room alone and I was supposed to ask you out and kiss you here but  _ you did it first _ !”

Harry stared at Peter. "So I'm taking that as a yes?"

Both of them looked at each other and then suddenly burst out laughing.

"We're really big idiots aren't we?" Harry asked after calming down.

"You stole my idea." Peter tried to look petty but he couldn’t stop smiling. 

Harry just smirked. "What can I say, I did it first."

"Still."

"Well, great minds think alike and your mind is definitely great." Harry nudged Peter.

"Here you are again, fishing for compliments." Peter leaned against the ledge, looking out at the city lights.

"I always am. So what do you say to that date?"

"I think today was a great first date."

Harry's mouth dropped open in a mock dramatic expression. "I will do so much better for a first date."

"I don't need a better date. This is already better because of you." Peter never found it hard to be honest and real with Harry. It was only the truth when he said there was nowhere he would rather be.

Harry paused at the raw statement. "You said there was one last part of your plan?"

Peter thought back to his outburst, his cheeks turning pink at the idea. "Yeah, I did."

"Would you mind if I stole that step too?"

Peter shook his head. His breath hitched as Harry stepped closer. The raven haired boy slowly tilted his head and pressed his lips to Peter's. 

Peter relaxed into the kiss. He felt like he was on cloud nine. Everything they did brought them here, and for once, Peter had no regret. 

Eventually Harry pulled away, taking a deep breath. "Wow."

"Wow." Peter nodded in agreement.

"So, was that good enough for your plan?"

"Oh definitely. But now the plan is done, so we can do whatever we want."

"Including doing that again?"

Peter grinned, wrapping an arm around Harry’s waist and pulling him into another kiss.

* * *

Later, as Harry was walking Peter back to his hotel he asked, "So what are your plans after this?"

"We're visiting some museums and stuff as a group tomorrow. Then we're off to Spain for the next two days and then back home. So I'll see you again in like five days?"

"Well actually… I was thinking. Would you mind me joining you on your tours and to Spain?"

Peter stood, shocked for the third time that day by none other than Harry Osborn. "How would that work?"

"I would get tickets to the same trips and same planes and we could go back home together."

"You would sit in economy with me?" Peter teased.

Harry just nodded. "Why not? More time with you. We could watch a movie or something."

Peter thought about traveling with Harry, about falling asleep on his shoulder and holding hands and seeing the world. The answer was easy. "Of course. See you tomorrow."

"See you Pete." They both stood in front of the hotel door, stupid grins on their faces. Harry paused before pressing a quick kiss to Peter's cheek and walking away. 

Peter stood outside, watching Harry as he walked away. His plan might have failed but the results were pretty sweet. Maybe for once, Parker Luck gave him a win.

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:
> 
> Peter stood in front of the La Sangrada Familia, his camera in hand.
> 
> "Pete, you done yet?" Harry stood in front of the camera, smiling for the picture.
> 
> "One more picture, mi corazón." 
> 
> Harry grumbled. "You know I don't know Spanish that well."
> 
> "Lo sé, mi querido. Te amo." Peter grinned. 
> 
> Harry marched over to Peter. "I can and will search those up later."
> 
> "Be my guest."
> 
> "Ok... mon chéri." 
> 
> \--------------------------------
> 
> Talk to me on tumblr @lilacsandlilies4  
> or on discord @LilacsAndLilies#4691


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